Wire-stretcher.



W. A. MEDLIN.

WIRE STRETGHER.

APPLICATION 111.121) 11011.9. 1911.

1,02 1,37 1 Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. MEDLIN, 0F BIILEY, MISSISSIPPI.

WIBE-STRETGHER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM. A. MEDLiN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ripley, in the county of Tippah and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wire-Stretchers, of which the following is a'specification.

This invention relates to a wire stretcher, and the object of the invention is a simple device for gripping and stretching wire without the use of chains, or bolts, and a further object of the invention is to space the wires properly apart thereby making a neat looking and satisfactory fence.

The invention relates to that class of devices intended to grip and stretch single wires, and the device also includes means for spacing the wire being stretched from either the top wire or from the wire previously stretched and secured in position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the device in position for use. Fig. 2 is a side View. Fig. 3 is a perspective View, wires being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified form of spacing device.

In these drawings, 1 represents a fence post, 2 the top line wire, or the wire immediately above the one to be operated upon, and 3 the wire being stretched. The stretcher consists of two parts A and B pivotally connected together. The part A consists of a rectangular shank 4, adapted to bear against a post and having a head 5. The head is connected to the shank by curved faces as shown and said head is also provided with a straight face adjacent the movable portion B of the stretcher, which face forms the fixed gripping jaw of the stretcher. A fiat projecting plate 6 extends outwardly from the lower portion of the head 5 and the section B has a head portion 7 pivotally mounted. upon said plate, and this head is integral with a handle portion 8. The head portion 7 has also a straight face spaced slightly apart from the head 5, and when the shank 4t and the handle 8 are in alinement with each other the opposing faces of the heads 5 and 7 are parallel to each other, but by turning the head 7 upon its pivotal point it acts as a movable gripping jaw, gripping the wire to be stretched as shown in Fig. 3. With the wire positively gripped as illustrated and with the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 9, 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Serial No. 659,333.

post 1 as a fulcrum the handle 8 can be swung about the post thus stretching the wire 3, and it can be held under tension until secured to the post by a suitable staple.

In order that all of the wires may be spaced equally apart, thereby presenting a neat appearance and also adding to the value of the fence, I pivot a hook member 9 upon the head 5, which is adapted to engage the wire immediately above the one being stretched, said hook being of suflicient length to properly space the wires apart. By this means all the wires are placed at equal distances from each other. In order to allow for the construction of fences in which the wires are to be spaced farther apart, or closer together than the standard distance a modified form of spacing device is employed which consists of a wire member 10 having crimped portions 11 and a hook 12, said wire being connected to the head 4. Wlt-h a spacingwire of this kind the wires can be placed either closer together or farther apart and this device also permits the unequal spacing of wires where it is desired to gradually decrease the distance between the wires from the top of the fence down, thus placing the lower wires closer together than the upper wires. 1

What I claim is:

1. A wire stretcher comprising two pivotally connected members, the said members comprising cooperating heads spaced apart and forming gripping jaws, a shank carried by one of said heads adapted to engage a post, an operating handle carried by the other head, and a hook member loosely connected to one of said heads and adapted to engage a wire immediately above the wire gripped between the said heads.

2. A device of the kind described comprising two pivotally connected wire gripping members, one of said members having an integral shank adapted to engage a post, and the other having an integral operating handle, and a wire spacing device loosely connected to the member adapted for engagement with the post, as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM A. MEDLIN.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. RICHARDSON, ORBREY STREET.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of lfatents,

Washington, D. G. 

